Biscuits Blog - Playoff Edition - Game One Skitz V Lookouts

PLAYOFF EDITION

The Biscuits face the Lookouts in the first round of the Southern league playoffs, facing the team they opened the season against.

The Lookouts took the 1st half title in the North Division and while they have had many changes in the roster the Chattanooga team has been playing very good baseball over the past few weeks.

The Lookouts are seeking their first championship since 1988, but they were co-champions in 2004 when Hurricane Ivan washed out the final round of playoffs between Mobile and Chattanooga.

Polanco

 THEIR GUYS
The Chatts roster is still peppered with prospects, including Max Kepler who was recently crowned Southern League MVP for 2015.

Shortstop Jorge Polanco is another main cog in the Lookouts lineup, the switch hitter is batting .289 with 18 steals this year.

Walker

Adam Brett Walker is a force in the batting order with an eye-popping 31 home runs and 106 RBI in the regular season, leading the league in both stats.

Of course, everyone knows Adam Walker won the Home Run Derby at Riverwalk Stadium during this years AllStar Game.

WHAT TO LOOK FOR

Look for a shuffled Biscuits pitching rotation - Jaime Schultz in game one, Jacob Faria in game two and Austin Pruitt in game three. Presumably Taylor Guerrieri would toss game four and either Chris Kirsch or Ryne Stanek game five, should the series take more than the minimum three games.

The Lookouts big three of Polanco, Walker and Kepler have had some success against Biscuits game one starter Jaime Schultz this year. Jaime will have to keep runners off the bases ahead of those guys. Look for Schultz to work the ground balls and strikeouts to get out of a jam.

Look for the Lookouts to challenge Biscuit catchers, Goodrum, Polanco, Kepler, Wickens and Michael all have more than 15 stolen bases each and are capable on the basepaths.

Look for Max Kepler to go for extra bases, he is among the leagues best at two and three base hits.

Biscuit pitchers will be looking to strike out Adam Walker, the powerhitting DH has the most swings and misses in the league by a wide margin.

We can look for Lookouts lefties, there are four southpaws on the ChooChoos staff.


Biscuits starting pitcher Jacob Faria will be looking to keep the Lookouts Adam Walker in the park. Jacob has allowed just five HR's since joining Montgomery, Walker has two of them.

Look for Montgomery to manufacture runs the old fashioned way, "get em on, get em over, get em in" is the way Biscuits win. The Lookouts allow baserunners aplenty and Bradys Boys will have to take advantage of the Chattanooga propensity to pitch in traffic.

two Tylers collide - Goeddel and Bortnick

I look for a big series from Tyler Goeddel and Daniel Robertson, both have keyed the Skitz to big innings over the last thirty days or so. Robertson has been especially good late in games, batting over .290 in late inning situations. Goeddel hit over .330 in August with five homeruns.


Look for pitching to be the key to the series, the Biscuits hope to see the good starting and relief that put Montgomery over the top in the second half.

PREDICTION ZONE

KIRSCH TO BULLPEN?

Could we see fifth starter Chris Kirsch available out of the bullpen in Chattanooga?

As the only lefthanded pitcher on the roster, there is a chance Kirsch would get his side session in during a game, allowing Brady Williams one inning of port sided relief that wouldn't otherwise be available.



ROSTER HELP
At post time we have yet to learn what the playoff roster will be, though I still think we will see Cam Seitzer and Jared Mortensen return to help the Skitz in the postseason.
  

HANDICAP
Asked to predict the series, I admit my bias towards the Capital City Bombers. If I were a betting man I would put my nickel on the Skitz winning it in four games and advancing to the LCS.